Black Entertainment Television (BET) is partnering with Bakewell Media’s ‘Taste of Soul’ franchise to bring the biggest weekend in live entertainment to downtown Los Angeles on June 28-29.

BET will be hosting their first ever BET Experience at L.A. Live to precede the annual BET Awards show on June 30. Now the event is more than an awards show, it’s an experience.

The BET Experience is about connecting with the fans, so they have created BET Fan Fest, a festival full of free daytime activities on Friday and Saturday. Some of the best entertainers in the music industry will be at the festival, which will start at 10a.m. – 7p.m. While activities are free and open to the public, online registration is required.

Taste of Soul, which will continue to host its annual Family Festival on Crenshaw Blvd. on Oct. 19th has attracted nearly a million patrons in less than a decade. Presented by Bakewell Media, A Taste of ‘Taste of Soul’ will bring local food vendors with the best flavors to the BET Experience.

‘Taste of Soul’ is the largest food festival in Los Angeles, bringing the community’s favorite food vendors to one place.

Introducing ‘Taste of Soul’ in a limited form at the BET Experience with a taste of ‘Taste of Soul’ for the weekend, bringing L.A.’s favorite food vendors and community performances out to L.A. Live.

The smells of Harold and Belle’s, Chef Marilyn’s Soul Food Express and Cobbler King will fill the air along with 25 other Los Angeles vendors. Some of the performers that will grace the BET & Taste of Soul Community Stage, include Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy, the Crenshaw Elite Choir and Jada Grace, one of Berry Gordy’s latest music acts. ‘Taste of Soul’ is showcasing to BET and the people flying in from across the country the local Los Angeles community has to offer.

While ‘Taste of Soul’ highlights community acts, the BET Music Matters stage will present artists such as Marsha Ambrosius and Big K.R.I.T. along with some up-and-coming artists that are taking the music industry by storm. 106 & Park will also be broadcasting live from the festival and there will be celebrities throughout L.A. Live all day.

For the people who are into being part of the show, instead of watching, Sprite is having a Sports Court where there will be a dance-a-thon with the one and only Chris Brown. The Sprite Court will also have other activities including a slam-dunk competition, celebrity basketball game and high school drum line competition with celebrity judges.

Throughout Fan Fest, there will also be a free film festival and celebrity panel discussions. The panel discussion speakers will include Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, MC Lyte, Laila Ali and many others. They will be discussing topics such as sports, gun violence, finances and marriage. For more of a BET Connection, the Grammy Museum will have an exhibit of all of the winners of BET’s Lifetime Achievement Awards throughout the years.

BET Fan Fest activities are completely free and open to the public, but participants are required to register online at bet.com. There will be on-site registration at the L.A. Convention Center as well, but BET highly recommends registering online because space is limited.

Aside from the free, daytime activities, there will also be concerts of big name celebrities, which require a ticket purchase. Some performers include Beyoncé, Miguel, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Other artists that can take you back to the old school will have concerts as well, including New Edition, The Roots and the Jacksons. Sunday’s Best Live, hosted by Kirk Franklin, will also be broadcasted during the BET Experience at L.A. Live. Along with musical concerts, funny men Mike Epps and Cedric the Entertainer will have comedy shows. To purchase tickets for these concerts and find out more information about who’s performing, go to bet.com.

Not only will there be daytime and evening activities. The BET Experience at L.A. Live is partying with us in Los Angeles. There will be exclusive after-parties at the Conga Room in Downtown Los Angeles, in which a Diamond VIP Package must be purchased.

The BET Experience at L.A. Live will provide an experience like no other award show. There will be free events and concerts all weekend leading up to the 2013 BET Awards show on Sunday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m., hosted by comedian Chris Tucker. Some of the performers will include Chris Brown, R. Kelly and honoree Charlie Wilson. For more information, visit bet.com